Privacy
by still.fly
Summary: What happens when you lock the General of the United Forces and the heiress to Future Industries in a broom closet? Korra and Mako are about to find out. Iroh II and Asami.


"Korra, I didn't even think you owned any jewelry." Asami commented offhandedly, steadily finding this situation even stranger with each passing second. She had already been skeptical when Korra asked her to help her find her lost earring, but now she was leading her towards Pema's broom closet. The only thing that didn't have Asami running in the opposite direction was the possibility that Korra actually did own earrings, and that perhaps she lost it in this particular broom closet during a make out session with Mako.

"I've got all kinds of traditional Water Tribe jewelry," She replied, waving her hand in the air as if willing the heiress to dismiss the matter. It was this shifty kind of behavior that had her on edge. She raised an eyebrow at Korra, but she just sent Asami her trademark, goofy smile.

"Oh, fancy seeing you here _Mako_," Korra waved at the firebender that Asami hadn't even noticed standing at the end of the hallway. It was at that moment that everything happened before she could register what exactly was going on. Mako, smirking, opened the broom closet, and then Korra was behind the heiress. Her strong arms pushed her forward and she stumbled in, nearly tripping over herself in the process. The door closed behind her, and they must have switched the doorknob to lock from the outside because there was a loud click indicating that she was trapped.

She could hear them laughing as they walked down the hallway and away from her prison. She sighed and slid herself down the wall, deciding there and then that she would never trust Korra's goofy smile ever again. "Some friends," she muttered to herself.

"You too, huh?" A masculine voice asked from right beside her. She jumped and scrambled away from the voice, having expected to be alone in the darkness.

It took her a moment, but she was able to place who the voice belonged to. All of the puzzle pieces immediately put themselves together, and she knew _exactly_ what Korra and Mako's intentions were by shoving her into a broom closet.

_Play it cool, Asami_, she told herself, blushing profusely.

"General Iroh," She nearly squeaked, "You, uh, having a nice stay on Air Temple Island?"

Mortification washed over her as she realized she was trying to make small talk with a Fire Nation Prince she was locked inside a _broom_ _closet_ with. She could have slapped herself across the head for the sheer amount of tact her greeting held. Or lack thereof.

"Indeed." Was his short response.

Asami swallowed thickly and decided that now would be a good time to try and find the light switch. She stood up and reached out blindly until her hands slid across the switch. She flipped it easily and was greeted to the sight of the General of the United Forces waiting for his eyes to adjust. She ignored the thoughts swirling around in her head that said it was awfully cute the way he was squinting up at her.

"How long have you been in here?" She asked, sitting down again. Between the two of them, there wasn't much space left in the broom closet, and when she finally fixed herself to sit comfortably her knees ended up resting against his.

He didn't seem to be complaining, Asami noted.

"An hour or so," He shrugged.

"You seem surprisingly content with this situation."

He just shrugged again, "My grandfather often told me of Avatar Aang's shenanigans. I'm not all that surprised that Korra's no different in that respect."

"But Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko were very close friends."

He raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you and Korra close friends as well?"

"Yes." She stated with conviction, "I was wondering what could possibly possess Korra to shove _you, _of all people, into a closet and think she'll get out of it unscathed."

"She saved my life," He stated with as much conviction as Asami held in her own voice, "Besides I wasn't really under the impression that even _you_ would let her out unscathed. No matter how close you are." Asami contemplated that thoughtfully.

"You've got a point, General." She said, almost laughing, "Care to join me in my plots of revenge?" She held out a hand for him to shake. He took it faster than she expected. He's the army type, after all—not the petty tomfoolery type.

"It would be my honest pleasure."

"Great!" She cheered, taking her hand back and running it through her thick hair, "Well before we can do that we need to find a way out of this closet." She eyed him, "Firebending out of the question?"

He nodded, "We're out for Korra's blood, not Pema's. I don't think she'll take it too kindly if I burn down her house."

"Don't forget Mako." Asami added. At Iroh's perplexed look she explained, "We're out for his blood too. He helped Korra lock us in here." Asami rolled her eyes when she saw that the General looked almost impressed at the Fire Ferret's actions.

_Men_, she mentally snorted.

She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and immediately tried her best at picking the lock. She heard shuffling behind her and assumed that Iroh was getting to his feet to inspect her work. She could feel the heat of his body on her back; it took everything she had to not let that affect her. After about five minutes of fiddling and frustration on her part and peering on his part, he finally spoke up.

"What..._exactly_ are you accomplishing?"

She growled, throwing her hands up and nearly smacking him in the face. Luckily, he had quick reflexes and was able to dodge her nicely pedicured hand. "_Nothing,_ apparently." She huffed, turning away from the door and glaring up at him.

He just gaped at her.

"Do you have any better ideas, Mister General of the _freaking_ United Forces?" She folded her arms across her chest and jutted out her hip a little.

He continued to gape until it came to his attention that he probably seemed extremely unprofessional. She noted that he had the decency to finally close his mouth.

"I'm waiting." She insisted, not really sure why she was being so sassy all of a sudden. Perhaps it was just now hitting her that she was locked inside of a cramped broom closet with General Iroh. The man that she had admitted she thought was _very_ handsome to _Korra_ of all people (also the hooligan responsible for this situation), not even a couple of days ago. She was definitelynever going to trust Korra's trademark, goofy grin ever again.

She raised an eyebrow as his silence continued. That seemed to spur him into action.

"You _growled_ at me." He said lamely.

"_You_ broke my concentration."

"But…you _growled_ at me."

"And?"

"Are you always so easily riled up?"

Asami blinked. It appeared that the General could be just as sassy as she could be. Hey eyebrow twitched. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What were you supposed to say to that anyway? Her shocked look morphed into one of annoyance when she saw the smug look on his face. She huffed.

"Who do you think you are, anyways?" She inquired, not realizing how stupid of a question that was.

"General Iroh, Prince of the Fire Nation." His smirk only grew, "Who do you think _you_ are?"

"Asami Sato, heiress to Future Industries." She flipped her hair for emphasis.

"Well, Miss Sato," He said formally, his expression softening slightly, "In answer to your previous question, I do have one idea." There was a pause as she waited for him to elaborate. He cleared his throat, "I say we just wait it out. Korra and Mako have to let us out sometime. Or maybe someone else in need of a broom might let us out." He kicked one said broom, "We're not going to be trapped in here forever." Asami gave him points for trying to be reassuring, but it didn't really do the trick all that much.

"That's a stupid idea."

"Is it?"

"Yes. We've already covered that you're the General of the _freaking_ United Forces. Aren't you supposed to have a plethora of strategies and tactics to get out of situations like this hidden in that uniform of yours?" She eyed the uniform appreciatively, trying not to think of what else he's got hidden under there.

It quickly came to her attention just how close they were. Normally, she'd back away from him. But that's not only hindered by the limited space they're sharing, but also by the fact that that would wound her ego.

Not happening.

"That usually involves firebending, Miss Sato," He said calmly, "And we've already covered that that's out of the question." He did, in fact, have strategies that did not involve firebending, but he didn't have to let her know that. Not when this was the perfect opportunity to get to know the young heiress a little better. Not when she was standing so close to him.

And he most definitely _did not_ need to tell her that he was fully capable of picking a lock with a bobby pin.

She sighed, and slid down the wall again.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"If we're waiting this out, then I might as well get comfortable. Who knows how long we'll be in here?" She propped a leg up and rested an arm on it. Iroh sat down across from her, seeing as that was the only place he really couldsit. He stretched a leg out against hers and crossed the other one. The heat from where their bodies touched seemed to suffocate her.

This was going to be a tough wait.

"So…" He started, "You, ah, doing okay?"

She looked down at her hands, thinking of what to tell him. It's only been a couple of weeks since Mako and Korra made it clear that they were meant for each other. It's only been a couple of weeks since she faced her father. A lot of people approach her as if she's about to crack, save the Fire Ferrets brothers, Korra, Tenzin, and Pema.

And Iroh too.

"I'm fine." I replied honestly, "I'm really lucky that I have such great friends. I don't know how well I would've dealt with all this if you all weren't there for me."

"Does that mean that you and Mako…you're good?"

She smiled, "Yeah. We're fine. Better, I think, than just fine. He's a really good friend. Always loyal, always looking out for you. Korra is quickly becoming one of my best friends too." It hadn't surprised Asami that Korra would shove her in a broom closet with General Iroh, but it was a bit surprising that Mako helped her. That was the biggest indication of all that Mako and the heiress were more than just 'fine'.

"I'm glad, then." His voice was sincere. Asami felt something warm on her hands, and looked up in shock at the General. He had reached over to place his hand on hers, and it wasn't leaving. He kept it there, drawing patterns on her skin with his thumb.

She was suddenly very glad that she was sitting, because her legs would have given out otherwise.

"So how long do you plan to stay in Republic City?" She asked, flipping one of her hands so that she could intertwine it with his.

He smiled, "Long enough to give the city time to heal."

"Right."

Asami found his answer to be vague, but she figured it was probably the best answer she was going to get. She wasn't even sure if _he_ knew exactly how long the United Forces would stay in the city, after all. She hoped it was long enough for the pair to get to know each other better. If she had it her way, he wouldn't leave at all.

She was beginning to recognize just how much she really did like the General.

"But, you know, while I'm here…" He paused, "…maybe we could have dinner together?"

"We have dinner together every night." She teased.

"Just you and me, I mean. Without Avatars, probenders or airbenders."

She knew. She just wanted to make him say it.

"I'd love to, General."

This would usually be the point where Iroh insisted she call him by his name, rather than his title. But there was something about the way she called him General that he actually rather liked. He brought a hand up to gently cup her cheek, drawing his thumb across her cheekbone. Something about the action made her blush and he could feel the heat underneath his fingertips.

She drew closer to him, and it was like the response was natural. All she could see were his golden eyes and his lips and her eyes kept flicking back and forth between the two and she could see that his were doing the same. Her heartbeat was sporadically beating inside of her chest, and she didn't think it's ever gone so fast. She hopes he doesn't hear it, but when she puts a soft hand on his chest she can feel that his heart is beating just as fast.

That's all the motivation she really needed.

Tired with how slowly their faces were drawing towards each other, she takes the initiative. She leaned forward those last couple of inches and covered his lips with hers. The sudden loss in distance shocked him momentarily. But true to his quick reflexes, he leaned into the kiss almost immediately. And she didn't think she's ever kissed lips this soft.

They continued to kiss, moving their lips experimentally and rubbing their hands up and down the other's arms. Asami ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. She quickly had to pull back for air, and did so with a gasp. His lips moved to her neck, and his hands moved to her waist. When his mouth found the point just beneath her ear, she moaned and brought his lips back to hers.

When they thought they just about found heaven, the door opened.

"Oh, gross!"

"What's so—oh, spirits!"

Iroh and Asami separated quickly. They both hobbled to their feet, and dusted themselves off before exiting the closet and confronting their friends. Both of whom looked like their minds had been permanently poisoned. Asami smirked.

"Korra, you didn't say that they would end up making out!" Mako shivered in mortification, "I'm never going to unsee that."

"You and me both!" She exclaimed. Her hands were covering her eyes like she was sure that the General and the heiress were still kissing, "I thought at the most he'd just ask her out. I didn't think he'd have the guts to actually _kiss_ her."

"I can hear you, you know." Iroh deadpanned, fixing his disheveled hair.

"_Never_ going to unsee that." Mako repeated.

Asami rolled her eyes, and stood up on her tip toes to whisper something in Iroh's ear. When she stepped back down, they were both smirking evilly. They eyed the firebender and the Avater briefly before leaning into each other again until their lips met.

"They're at it again!" Korra yelled, "Come on, Mako! We've got to get out of here before it gets worse!" She grabbed her boyfriend and frantically dragged him through the hallway and away from the kissing couple. When they heard Tenzin's voice just around the corner asking them what was wrong, all that Korra could do was squeak out a loud, "Nothing!"

Asami giggled.

"They act like they've never done it before."

"Perhaps they're still not comfortable with public displays of affection," Iroh offered, "But they've got the right idea."

"Hmm. And what's that?" She questioned with a grin, sliding her hand up his uniform.

"Well, perhaps we should find somewhere a little more…private."

Asami raised an eyebrow. She then proceeded to grab him by his jacket collar and drag him back into the broom closet. She kicked the door shut behind her.

* * *

**Hey, so this is my first Korra fic. And it's also the first one-shot I've written in a really long time. I hope you guys liked it as much as I liked writing it. Please remember to review!**


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